Other than that, they can be very much like the rest of us mere mortals. They do get a lot more attention because of their talents. That is a two-edged sword, though.

Mere mortals don’t get a lot of great attention with their everyday lives, but a good share of us will get targeted by all kinds of scam artists and fraudsters, through e-mail, shady websites or even some flashy presentations.

While there are a lot more of us mere mortals and thus a much larger pool of potential victims for criminals, the celebrities we know can be very popular targets. Criminals and fraudsters may be able to defraud the same percentage of celebrities as mere mortals, but the potential payoff for those fraudsters could be significant – equivalent to 10 or more “mere mortals” in terms of the amount of money that could be had. Until they get caught, of course.

With celebrities, if one of them gets defrauded, a single scam can cost that person millions of dollars before they even know they have been defrauded. One such case came to light recently in Indianapolis, when a former Indianapolis Colts football player was allegedly defrauded out of more than $4 million by an investment advisor based in California, who is charged with setting up a Ponzi scheme.

One of the ways that a person, whether a celebrity or a mere mortal, can head off a fraud in a contractual relationship before it gets too expensive, is to have a quality fraud lawyer who can help track transactions and be aggressive in defending a client’s money and rights.

Financial fraud can be a very damaging crime, affecting not only a victim’s bank account, but also a family household and its overall financial security. A good fraud attorney can be a security blanket to help protect your family and your future. Being aware of the clues and signs of possible fraud and being aggressive in revealing it can save you a lot of heartache and vulnerability. When dealing with your own money, having a trust-but-verify approach will be the best move.